Steve Jobs: The World’s Greatest Business Storyteller

Tension and struggle, heroes and villains are the stuff of great movies. As it turns out, they are also key to selling one’s ideas. In the new film Steve Jobs, Oscar-winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin divides the film into three acts with each act taking place...

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How Steve Jobs Inspired People to ‘Dream Bigger’

A retail executive who was once tasked with revitalizing the Disney Store called Steve Jobs, Disney’s largest shareholder, to ask for advice. Jobs said, “Dream bigger.” Those two words contained a wealth of wisdom and inspired Disney to think radically different. The...

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Pope Francis Goes Off Script And Electrifies His Audience

“Wow.” That’s the first word that came to mind for CNN’s Chris Cuomo after Pope Francis delivered an impromptu speech about the family. On Saturday night, the final evening of his historic visit to America, Pope Francis had spent two hours enjoying music and...

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Why Pope Francis Delivers Ideas In Threes

If you watched, listened, or read the transcript to Pope Francis’ speech to Congress on Thursday, you might have noticed a trend: Pope Francis groups ideas into thirds. It’s not a random habit. He does it on purpose. In a response to a question Pope Francis once said,...

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To Raise Courageous Kids, Tell Heroic Stories

Your leadership role doesn’t end when you leave the office. Your kids are looking up to you, too. And how do great leaders inspire the best in others? They spark our imagination with epic stories of heroes and adventure. “Before I was born, when I was in the tummy of...

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Why Stories Of Struggle Bring Out The Best In Others

On the sloping hills of Paso Robles, California, sits the L’Aventure vineyard. The grape vines that grow on this steep hillside must fight their way through rocky limestone soil for precious water and nutrients. The wine made from those grapes are bursting with flavor...

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Pixar, Oregon Ducks, And How Culture Builds Winning Teams

Two seasons ago I enjoyed my football first experience at Autzen Stadium at the University of Oregon. I traveled to Eugene to visit my nephew who was attending the college and to see what all the fuss was about. I should have realized that when every hotel room in...

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5 Presentation Tips From CEO Keynotes At CES

Smart gadgets were all the buzz at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Smart drones were flying around the keynote stage, smartphone apps opened smart doors, and smart cars were driving themselves. There were also some very smart business leaders...

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How Mario Cuomo’s 1984 Speech Electrified His Audience

Former New York Governor Mario Cuomo who passed away on January 1st was 50 percent responsible for my decision to pursue a career in journalism and communication. Ronald Reagan was responsible for the other 50 percent. Both leaders sparked our collective imagination...

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Five Resolutions For More Successful Presentations In 2015

Like it or not, many business professionals are judged on the quality of their presentation skills. I wrote an article earlier this year about a giant tech company that scores its senior managers and leaders on customer-facing presentations. Higher scores translate...

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What CEO’s Can Learn From The Pulpit

Before Martin Luther King Jr. galvanized a nation with one of the greatest speeches of the 20th century, he had honed his delivery and storytelling skills through years of experience behind the pulpit as a Baptist minister.  He became a pastor at the age of 25 and...

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Take The ‘Old School’ Design Out Of PowerPoint

A few months ago I was sitting in the ‘green room’ behind a stage waiting to deliver a keynote speech to an audience of entrepreneurs and business leaders. I couldn't see the person speaking on stage ahead of me, but I heard the audio feed. I began taking notes...

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